This will probably sound like exaggeration, but Fahsai homestay saved my marriage. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was fighting with my wife before we arrived and lovey-dovey when we left. I was genuinely considering leaving her. The cozy little room, friendly and happy family of hosts that made us feel like part of the family, and quiet sanctuary of the garden in the middle of the hustle and bustle that is Bangkok was exactly what the doctor ordered.

P'Nit was the first host of any building who didn't blanche when I showed up with a half grown, overly-friendly husky puppy. Her and her wonderful husband Pop (P'Pop, P meaning brother) helped me to move, gave me great advice, made a delicious breakfast every morning and kept the place peaceful and clean.

The rooms are small, but the bathroom and mud room more than make up for that and the house's grounds are absolutely spacious by Bangkok standards. Furthermore the home has been in Pop's family for four generations, and so the whole place is stone and wood with handmade furniture and lovingly crafted fixtures. It is indeed a place with soul. It's hard to express how nice it is to feel grass beneath your feet, see birds and critters and not hear heavy traffic when you've been in BKK for a long time.

My hosts kept us very well taken care of the entire time, and on our final day gave me a tour of the family shrine and museum of Pop's treasured antiques and artifacts. The man has THREE WW2 bayonets! And a turn of the last century opium pipe! And a noblewoman's all wood train suitcase carved with rose emblems... stunning stuff, truly, but not as stunning as how well taken care of my wife and I were despite the fact that our hosts' young daughter was in and out of hospital during our stay. They really went above and beyond.

The neighborhood is a very nice one. It's the sort of genuine Thai neighborhood where telling a street vendor you want your food spicy is a dangerous proposition and everyone knows each other and wants to know you, too. The homestay is on a little canal that has recently been mostly filled in, but is flushed every few days. This is the source of life here I believe. You can tell the water is clean because there are frogs and fish living in it, as well as dragonflies hunting.

What more can I say? The rooms are as advertised and clean and neat, the wifi works, the garden is perfect for sitting and reading and the coffee is ever-available. The kids are adorable, the trees bear mangoes and the neighbors are friendly.

Ah, OK, a secret hack to make any Thai neighborhood know you are a 'good' foreigner: When you arrive, ask what time the monk will walk by in the morning and be there to offer some food. Brownie points!

I will stay again.